The US House of Representatives has on Wednesday submitted the articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress to the Senate.

This has now set to motion a historic trial that threatens Trump’s stay in office.

Senate leader, Mitch McConnell (Republican) revealed that the House has submitted the articles and announced that they would be formally read to the chamber on Thursday at noon (17:00 GMT).

After reading, the Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will be sworn in to preside over the trial, Al Jazeera reports.

Senators will then be sworn in as jurors on Thursday and preparations will get underway for an impeachment trial that will begin on Tuesday, January 21.

“This is a difficult time for our country, but this is precisely the kind of time for which the framers created the Senate,” McConnell said, referring to the authors of the US Constitution.

The two articles of impeachment are one for abuse of power and the other for obstructing the House investigation.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, (Democrat) said as she signed the articles, “So sad, so tragic for our country, that the actions taken by the president to undermine our national security, to violate his oath of office and to jeopardise the security of our elections, has taken us to this place.

“This president will be held accountable,” she said, adding: “No one is above the law.”

Trump became only the third president in history of the United States to be placed on trial in the Senate. 

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